2022-06-30-accounts

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LIPU UK TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS for the year ended 30 June 2022

Registered Charity Number 1081826

NG Community Accounting Services Jubilee House, Doddington Lincoln LN6 4RS

	Page
Trustees and Other Information	1
Trustees' Annual Report	2-9
Independent Examiner's Report	10
Receipts and Payments Account	11
Statement of Assets and Liabilities	12
Notes to the Accounts	13

Trustees and Other Information

Information

LIPU-UK, c/o Fernwood, Doddington Road, Whisby, Lincs, LN6 9BX is registered with the Charity Commission (No 1081826) and is constituted by a Deed of Trust.

Trustees

The charity is administered by trustees who form an Executive Committee. Committee members during this financial year were:

Matthew Hines Chair Person David Lingard Secretary/Treasurer Patricia Dugard Member Shirley Lingard Member Lesley Tompkins Member

Independent Examiner

Nicole Gray (MAAT) NG Community Accounting Jubilee House Lincoln Road Doddington Lincoln Road LN6 4RS

Trustees Report

The Trustees present their Report together with the Financial Statements of the Charity for the year from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.

Objective and Aims

The object of the Charity is to further the charitable works of Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli (LIPU) by making grants or providing such other assistance as the executive committee shall from time to time determine.

LIPU was founded in Italy in 1965 and, in 1989, a British section, LIPU-UK, was formed and based initially in Chelmsford. In 2000, LIPU-UK was registered in England as a charity. Its objectives remain unchanged and consist of providing financial support and any other assistance which will further the aims of LIPU in its work of bird protection and conservation. Each year, the British section agrees with LIPU directors in Parma a set of projects for which it commits to raise funds and those funds are transferred to Italy in June at the end of the financial year.

Public Benefit

Italy has a poor record of compliance with European Directives regarding protection of wildlife, habitat and biodiversity and any improvement will bring a clear benefit to the citizens of Europe, both within and outside of the European Community. LIPU-UK has complied with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 in having due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.

Your Trustees

There has been no change in personnel or offices since last year's Annual Report.

Trustees are appointed by the Executive Committee usually, but not exclusively, from the membership of LIPU-UK and are offered induction training by the Secretary and/or other trustees prior to their first attendance at a trustees' meeting.

Project progress in 2021/22

This year’s report on achievements is based on information provided by Claudio Celada, LIPU Nature Conservation Director, notably reports to the October 2021 and June 2022 Trustees’ meetings.

1) Bird Hospitals

LIPU-UK has, for many years, helped various bird hospitals, or Recovery Centres, with the provision of consumable items; in some years more substantial funding has been provided to selected centres, depending on what funding is (or is not) available from other sources such as local government. In 2021/22, LIPU-UK funds ( €7,000 ), were again provided to support this important work. A further commitment of €7,000 has been made for 2022/23.

2) Protecting Bonelli’s Eagle and Lanner Falcon nesting sites, Sicily.

For 2022, LIPU established two working groups: one group monitored the nests of the two species in the provinces of Catania and Syracuse; a second group monitored the nests of the two species in the province of Caltanisetta.

Catania and Syracuse provinces, Lanner: Out of about 13 sites checked, breeding pairs were observed in only 4. Seven juveniles were ready to fly or already fledged. Sadly, one site occupied at the beginning of the breeding season was abandoned for unknown cause.

Catania and Syracuse provinces, Bonelli's Eagle: LIPU monitored 10 occupied sites. At 6 sites there were 10 juveniles. At one site the two chicks fell from the nest and were recovered alive and transferred to Messina for treatment. In the other 3 sites the hatching was not completed.

Caltanisetta province: Two pairs of Bonelli's Eagles bred, but no Lanner breeding was recorded. Each pair of Bonelli's successfully produced two fledglings. LIPU-UK funds ( €5,000 ), were again provided to support this important work. A further commitment of €2,000 has been made for 2022/23.

3) Anti-Poaching activities

LIPU-UK provided €7,000 to support anti-poaching activities in Southern Sardinia and Messina. A further commitment of €7,000 has been made for 2022/23.

Messina Strait camp

The antipoaching camp took place between April 23rd and May 7th 2022. Due to Covid regulations, participation was restricted to three volunteers this year and it was not possible to organize awareness raising events in the area. Passage of migratory birds was fairly constant over the period. Due to the prevailing wind direction, the raptors migrated over the Messina Strait at high altitude, which prevented them from being shot. Only a single poaching event was observed (on April 27th near Sanbatello) and this was duly reported to the relevant Law Enforcement Agency. In March, shortly before the camp started, a coordination meeting took place with SOARDA (the main LEA) and from April 23rd, SOARDA and a local LEA patrolled the study area. Throughout, the camp was marked by frequent and effective exchange of information between LIPU’s volunteers, ornithologists and with other NGOs located in Sicily (Legambiente, MAN).

4) Monitoring raptor migration: Messina Strait

Raptor spring migration across the Messina strait was again funded (LIPU-UK provided €5,000 with a further commitment of €10,000 for 2022/23. The work was undertaken by two experienced observers between 15th March and 31st May 2022, at two locations (Piciò and Solano) on the Calabrian side of the strait. The largest raptor count was at the Solano station with a total of 28,684 birds observed, of which 27,434 were raptors, the balance being beeeaters and storks. Honey Buzzards dominated the raptor count (24,125 at Solano) but a total of 25 raptor species were recorded across the two locations.

5) Red-footed Falcon in Parma province

LIPU-UK continue our long-term funding ( €7,000 ; €7,000 committed for 2022/23) towards Red-footed Falcon conservation around Parma, which holds the most important breeding population in Italy. During the first phase of the 2022 breeding season (April-May), LIPU surveyed breeding pairs nesting in natural sites (corvid nests) and artificial nests. Sixty-five nest boxes out of a total of about 150 were occupied. During the breeding season we were able to read about 10 coloured rings applied in previous years. At the end of June, it was intended to apply GPS devices to Red-footed Falcons in two locations in the province of Parma. In July, a ringing campaign targeting the chicks was planned.

As reported last year, LIPU continue to work with the University of Bologna and a PhD student from the University of Varese to collect data on terrestrial invertebrates and vertebrates (which are the prey of the Red-footed Falcon, Lesser Kestrel and Kestrel) and to study the diet at various locations in the eastern Po Valley.

6) Kentish Plover in Sardinia

In 2019/20, LIPU-UK agreed to fund survey work to understand the breeding population of Kentish Plover in Sardinia better, the key Italian region for the species. Human disturbance is thought to be a major factor in the decline of this beach-nesting species. A dramatic population decline is indicated by data from the only years available (2010 (580-645 pairs) versus 2018 (175-188)). However, a suitable plan of action is not possible with insufficient data. The project was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions and LIPU-UK re-committed € 7,000 last year; the field work finally taking place in May 2021, in Apulia (Foggia province only), Calabria, and Sardinia.

In 2022 further survey was carried out by LIPU in two regions, as planned: in Calabria (several tens of coastal kilometres and Sardinia (the majority of coastal areas). Data collection and analysis remains ongoing at the time of writing. €7,000 was provided this year, with a further commitment of €10,000 in 2022/23.

7) Continuation of Monitoring of Important Bird Areas, Local Conservation Groups and Key Biodiversity Areas.

Regional data collected in previous years are being analysed in order to produce an updated IBA inventory. LIPU-UK provided €15,000 to support the project in this year.

8) Collared Pratincole

The Piana di Gela agricultural plain in Sicily holds the largest Italian population of Collared Pratincole (included on the Italian Red List). As truly natural habitats have declined, their ground nesting colonies are found increasingly on agricultural land. When LIPU started to monitor the colony on the Piana di Gela they found that late spring ploughing was causing numerous breeding failures. As a delay of only 10-15 days would permit successful breeding, local farmers were approached through a door-to-door information and awareness campaign. In 2018 the first direct actions saved part of the colony and in spring 2019, all of the landowners agreed to postpone ploughing, saving the entire colony. In 2019 55-60 breeding pairs were detected and in 2020, about 73 females laid eggs and hatching was verified in at least 40 nests. In April 2021, six LIPU volunteers searched the Gela plain for nesting sites,

finding 35-40 breeding pairs in two discrete areas. Agreement was reached with two landowners not to disturb these areas until the young had fledged.

In 2022, LIPU continued to monitor the size of the breeding population, breeding location and reproductive success. LIPU-UK provided €3,000 to support this effort and made a further commitment of €3,000 for 2022/23.

9) Montagu’s Harrier in Marche region

The Montagu's harrier is a little-studied species in Italy. Its population is mainly concentrated in central Italy and its stronghold is mainly located between the Marche and Tuscany. The species nests on the ground in wheat fields or hay meadows. This often results in the loss of eggs or chicks if mowing is carried out before the young are hatched. For this reason, the Pesaro and Viterbo delegations of LIPU (the latter for at least 22 years) instigated a protocol for identifying nests at risk in order to protect them. In Pesaro province, the field work was coordinated with the University of Urbino. LIPU-UK contributed €3,000 to this programme and have made a further commitment of €9,000 for 2022/23.

There are two phases to the survey: i) car tours to identify potential sites with a breeding pair present; ii) after identifying a pair, a thorough survey to discover the nest site. At present, LIPU continue to assess the size of the breeding population, breeding location and reproductive success.

The ambition is to transform this into an annual commitment and gradually to increase the study area. A broader ambition is to shape a dedicated programme on nest protection covering species such as Bonelli’s Eagle, Lanner, Collared Pratincole, Montagu’s Harrier, possibly also Corncrake and Little Bustard.

10) Local Conservation Groups

In July 2016, LIPU launched the Local Conservation Groups project. Its goal was to create a network of volunteers that can contribute to the long-term monitoring and surveillance of Natura 2000 sites and the dissemination of knowledge on the Natura 2000 network among local communities.

The Local Conservation Groups (LCG) use standardized methods to collect data that are useful to assess the conservation status of bird species of Community interest, i.e. those listed under Annex I of the Birds Directive and migratory birds that make regular stopovers at the site. These data are made available to the managing authorities of the Natura 2000 sites and to ISPRA (Istituto superiore per la protezione e la ricerca ambientale), the Italian institute for environmental protection and research.

120 volunteers in 18 groups were involved throughout Italy, from Valle d’Aosta to Sicily. Volunteers come from all age groups, from students to retirees, and have varying levels of experience in the environmental field, so that experts can assist other volunteers in learning about issues related to biodiversity and its conservation.

Currently there are 20 Local Conservations Groups with around 150 volunteers distributed in 13 regions and involved in the monitoring of 31 target species in 28 sites belonging to the Natura 2000 network, including Lesser Grey Shrike, Black Woodpecker, Purple Heron and Collared Pratincole. LIPU-UK provided €5,000 to help fund these groups, with a commitment to the same funding in 2022/23.

11) Reducing Mediterranean bycatch of vulnerable marine bird species

The impact of bycatch by fishery is a constant and important threat to marine birds in the Mediterranean. Shearwaters, Cormorants, and Gulls are among the most affected species. The Trustees agreed to re-allocate €10,000 from unspent 2019/20 funds to enable the cofinancing of this project, partially funded by a private foundation (MAVA). In 2020/21, a further €10,000 was provided. LIPU-UK have committed to providing the same funding for 2022/23. The project is intended to devise and test practical measures which fishing boats can use at sea to reduce bycatch.

LIPU, with BirdLife, embarked on a pilot bycatch data collection project focused on the fishing fleet operating in Lampedusa (Pelagie archipelago, Sicily Channel, GSA 16). The Pelagie archipelago hosts the second most important colony of Scopoli’s Shearwater in the Mediterranean basin. The study demonstrated that bycatch of marine birds does occur near Linosa, Sicily, where the largest Scopoli’s Shearwater colony is situated. Data collection continued in 2022.

A National Plan of Action (NPoA) to tackle seabird bycatch in Italy has been drafted and a variety of advocacy has been undertaken, including an Italian Senate hearing, a meeting with the European Commission (DG MARE), under the framework of the BirdLife Marine Task Force (BL MTF); a joint letter with other NGOs to the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, calling for Italian government support to revision of the EU Fisheries Control Regulation; various other awareness raising exercises through social media (including launch of the #stopbycatch campaign in April 2022), webinars, newsletters and Ali articles.

12) Climate Change Education / Green Future Citizens

The Trustees recognise that education has a key role to play in conservation. Accordingly, last year LIPU-UK agreed to fund the cost of 2 educators dedicated to this project (one in Lombardy and one in Tuscany). The funding was continued in 2021/22 ( €5,000 ) with a commitment to the same funding in 2022/23. The project started 4 years ago with the benefit of a grant and worked with more than 30 schools in Rome, Tuscany and Lombardy. By the end of the 2021/22 school year, the project had delivered 75 sessions to 26 classes comprising 677 high school students. The schools have requested a further programme with new students and LIPU-UK’s continued funding will enable LIPU to continue offering the program for free.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

a) Income

At the end of the financial year we had received an exceptional £233,665 (2020/21 £107,200; 2019/20: £114,066). A substantial portion of this total were legacies totalling £174,148, for which the Trustees express their sincere gratitude. We have never actively solicited legacies but we do record, with thanks, donations left by Brian Hinds (a founder trustee of LIPU-UK); Audrey Tunbridge; Sheila Thompson; Ailsa Chamberlain; Pauline Davey; J Canvin and P Squelch. As ever, LIPU-UK’s membership responded to the annual appeal with great generosity; with over £30,000 raised. Other valuable contributions were the Annual Draw (£3,048) and Gift Aid (£6,725). Given the historically low membership numbers and very low interest rates, this has to be seen as an exceptional result.

b) Expenditure

This was £4,621 (2020/21 £6,381; 2019/20 £9,298), representing 2% (2020/21 6%) of income. LIPU-UK has an informal, desirable target of 10%. The substantially lower ratio this year is pleasing and represents a further reduction on 2020/21. As was the case in the previous two years, the low ratio should be seen in the context of an income inflated by sizeable legacies. Such limited expenditure is only made possible by the entirely voluntary efforts of the Trustees, notably the Treasurer/Secretary.

c) LIPU Project Funding

In June 2022, the Trustees approved transfer of €93,000 to LIPU to progress project funding in 2022/23.

Financial Reserves

At the year end, the charity had total reserves of £415,061 (2020/21: £270,024), represented by £415,061 of unrestricted funds and £nil of restricted funds.

The net funds of LIPU-UK are allocated into three different categories: Restricted Funds, Unrestricted Funds and Designated Funds.

Restricted Funds consist of money which has been given to LIPU-UK to be used for a specific purpose.
Unrestricted Funds are funds which can be spent on anything which furthers the objectives of LIPU-UK.
Designated Funds/Reserves are funds which have been earmarked for use in a par�cular way and these can include funds which are Restricted or Unrestricted.

LIPU-UK maintains two Designated Funds:

• A Business Reserve — that is the Trustees' es�ma�on of the prudent level of funds needed to guard against any potential liquidity problem that might arise if income unexpectedly dried up and financial commitments had to be met. Its level is set after an annual review and currently it amounts to £10,000. The Business Reserve is made up solely of Unrestricted Funds.

• The Project Reserve — a fund created to hold any surplus funds which may accrue. This fund may be spent on any project which has the approval of the LIPU-UK trustees after discussion with the Conservation Director of LIPU. The Project Reserve consists solely of Unrestricted Funds.

Risks to the Charity

a) Trustees

For many years, the Trustees have reflected that they cannot continue in office indefinitely. This has been reflected as a risk in successive Chairman’s Reports. Recent appeals for new trustees have not as yet borne fruit and discussions around the options for succession planning are ongoing.

b) Financial

We continue to feel that the complication of several deposit accounts is a necessary safeguard for LIPU-UK funds. Balances, wherever possible, are maintained below the £85,000 limit guaranteed by the FSCS scheme.

c) Membership

There has been a slow decline in numbers over many years, linked to the ageing profile of the membership. A modest increase in numbers during 2020/21 (from 646 in 2019/20 to 654) has reversed over the past 12 months, with membership dropping to 615 in June 2022.

Acknowledgements

We continue to believe that the work of LIPU-UK has a very positive effect in Italy, where conservationists work in a difficult environment. The bulk of this UK work is still largely down to David Lingard, our Secretary/Treasurer, and his wife Shirley (fellow trustee). As always, I am sure that all LIPU supporters are hugely grateful to them for their many hours of dedication. This year has been particularly difficult as the Trustees have explored options to keep LIPU-UK operational in the future.

As ever, we are grateful to the team of translators, who continue to deliver the good news from Italy.

This year is LIPU’s 56th and sadly, we are still needed. If anyone out there feels they can spare some time to join LIPU-UK’s Trustees and maintain LIPU-UK's contribution, do let us know. You may well find the experience enjoyable and rewarding.

Summary

This report reflects a year of highs and lows for LIPU-UK. The membership is at a historic low;

income, courtesy of sizeable legacies, at a historic high. We have again funded some fantastic projects which are making a real difference in Italy.

Ours is a small charity, but we make a significant contribution to LIPU, which by membership is less than 5% the size of the RSPB. Thanks to you, our LIPU-UK supporters, we continue to make a real impact. Thank you for again making that difference.

Matt Hines, Chairman — LIPU-UK Date: 27th September 2022

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of LIPU UK for the year ended 30th June 2022, which are set out on pages 11-13.

Responsibilities and basis of the report

As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act").

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters.

Independent Examiner's Statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connenction with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

a) accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or b) the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Nicole Gray NG Community Accounting Services Jubilee House Lincoln Road Doddington Lincoln LN6 4RS

30th September 2022

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT for the year ended June 2022

Receipts Note Legacies Subscriptions & Donations Annual Draw Gift Aid Deposit Account Interest Total Receipts Payments Project Funding Newsletter Costs Travel Costs Postage Printing Advertising, Website & Promotion Annual Draw Costs Trustees Meetings Independent Examiner Stationary Miscellaneous Admin Costs Bank Charges Total Payments Net Cash Inflow / Outflow Balance brought forward Balance carried forward	Unrestricted Funds Restricted & Endowment Funds Total 21/22 174,148 174,148 16,281 30,916 47,197 3,048 - 3,048 6,726 - 6,726 2,458 2,458 202,661 30,916 233,577 49,996 30,916 80,912 1,481 1,481 - - 1,007 1,007 - - 102 102 893 893 381 381 714 714 31 31 - - 12 12 54,617 30,916 85,533 148,044 - 148,044 273,635 273,635 421,679 - 421,679	Total 20/21 33,929 58,990 2,520 8,876 2,887 107,202 64,527 2,077 36 1,646 45 732 896 171 678 147 107 20 71,082 36,120 237,515 273,635

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Assets Cash in Hand Cooperative Bank Account Other Cash at Bank Cash on Deposit Fixed Assets Franking Machine Laptop Liabilities Accrual - Independent Examiner's Fee	Unrestricted 42 6,511 64 415,062 421,679 - 167 167 400 400	Restricted - - - - - - - - -	21/22 Total 42 6,511 64 415,062 421,679 - 167 167 400 400	20/21 Total 57 3,520 34 270,024 273,635 95 234 329 714 714

Notes to the Financial Statements

1. Accounting Policies

This year and for future years the Trustees have decided to adopt the Receipts & Payments method in preparing the Financial Statements. Therefore ‘’Expenditure’’ does not include the accrual for the Independent Examiner’s fee for the year.

The Trustees consider that this is appropriate for an organisation the size of LIPU-UK and ensures that the financial statements are easily understood by the members and other users.

All figures refer to the period 1st July 2021 to 30th June 2022.

2. Related Party Disclosures

During the year, Matthew Hines, a trustee of the charity was reimbursed £96.60 (2021: Nil) for travel expenses. David Lingard, a trustee of the Charity, was reimbursed £45.30 (2021: £36.00) for travel expenses. Pat Dugard, a trustee of the Charity was reimbursed £112.20 (2021: £Nil) for travel expenses. Lesley Tompkins, a trustee of the Charity was reimbursed £73.20 (2021: £29.60) for travel expenses.

3. Movement in Funds

Unrestricted Funds Business Reserve Project Reserve Restricted Funds Restricted Funds Total Monetary Funds Unrestricted Funds Business Reserve Project Reserve Restricted Funds Total Funds	At 01.07.21 £ 10,000 263,635 273,635 - - 273,635 Incoming Resources £ - 202,661 202,661 30,916 233,577	Net Movement in Funds £ 148,044 148,044 - - 148,044 Resources Expended £ - 54,617 - 54,617 - 30,916 - 85,533 -	Transfer Between Funds £ - - - - - - Gains and Losses £ - - - - -	At 01.07.22 £ 10,000 411,679 421,679 - - 421,679 Movement in Funds £ - 257,278 257,278 - 148,044